Back at Haddo after a couple of weeks away and it’s been straight back to work- finalising events, getting this website up to date and today meeting with contractors for the new adventure playground. I’ve also been doing some press work to celebrate the contractors finishing on site, so you may well see Haddo in the newspapers in the next few days. We were also featured on STV news last (Thursday) night. If you missed it, it’s available on the STV Player and the Haddo piece is about 6 1/2 minutes in.
Craigie Wood Paths
The biggest news of the new year is that new path and car park at the Craigie Wood are officially open. You can walk the circular path by following the signs from the top of the lake, or by heading up towards the deer statues and then walking along the top of the deer park and through the iron gates. The car park is just off the Tanglangford Road, it does have a deliberately narrow entrance so isn’t suitable for caravans or trailers (and mind your wing mirrors if you’re in a big 4×4!).
As one path opens, a couple of others get a bit narrower… The winds over New Year have brought down quite a few trees, including this one on the far side of the lake. None of the paths are impassable and the maintenance staff are out dealing with the fallen trees as I type this, but be prepared to take the odd minor diversion if you’re visiting at the weekend,. The door to the bird hide on the far shore of the lake has also been damaged but will be fixed in the next few days.
Upcoming Events
I’ve spent much of this week getting the first events of 2014 ready to go. As well as running some events myself, we’re getting wildlife experts from across the county to come and talk about birds, squirrels, bats, butterflies and flowers. There’s a full events calendar on this website, including all the NTS and HHCOS events in the house and hall as well as our events in the park. There’s everything from concerts to bushcraft courses so hopefully there should be something you’d like to come along to.
My first event starts a week on Saturday when I’ll be leading a guided tour of the park, looking at all the new restoration work (and spending a bit of time looking at birds too). The walk will start at 11am, places are limited so please email me if you’d like to come along.
Would You Like To Work At Haddo?
The NTS are looking for a Senior Assistant to work in the there’s a brief description of the job on the NTS website and more details and an application form at the bottom left of the page. There will be more jobs coming up at Haddo in the next few months- working in the shop and house as well as a seasonal assistant for the Country Park so watch this space!
Haddo House & Country Park 